Sports Briefs

Published 2:49 pm, Thursday, June 4, 2015

Another honor for SIUE’s Adams

EDWARDSVILLE – For the third time this season, SIU Edwardsville’s Gwen Adams has been named the women’s basketball Freshman of the Week by the Ohio Valley Conference.

A 5-foot, 11-inch, forward from Ferguson, Missouri, Adams scored a career-high 26 points and was one of five players in double figures in SIUE’s win over Tennessee State. Adams reached the 20-point mark for the first time in her collegiate career by shooting 8 of 13 from the field and 9 of 10 from the free throw line.

Adams helped the Cougars score 91 points against Tennessee State, marking the program’s highest single-game point total of the NCAA Division I era. She has recorded double digits in scoring 10 times, including an 11-point outing in a road win at Belmont last week. Adams previously was named the OVC Freshman of the Week Nov. 25 and Dec. 16.

The SIUE women’s basketball team continues OVC play with its next three games on the road. It begins Thursday with a 4:15 p.m. CT game at Morehead State.

Spurces said it was agreed to on Wednesday, not long after the team told interim coach Tony Sparano he would not get the job. Del Rio replaces Sparano, who replaced the fired Dennis Allen and had hoped to keep the job.

Del Rio was head coach in Jacksonville for nine seasons before spending the past three as defensive coordinator in Denver.

Prescott returning to Miss. State

STARKVILLE, Miss. (AP) — Quarterback Dak Prescott says he’s returning to Mississippi State for his senior season with the goal of making sure the program isn’t a “one-hit wonder.”

Prescott made his announcement on Wednesday during a news conference at the school. The 6-foot-2, 230-pounder from Haughton, Louisiana, had a breakout season for the Bulldogs in 2014, throwing for 3,449 yards, 27 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He also ran for 986 yards and 14 touchdowns.

His performance helped Mississippi State have one of the best seasons in school history. The Bulldogs were the No. 1 team in the nation for five weeks during the middle of the season before losing three of their final four games.

The 26-year-old Kickham spent his entire career in the San Francisco Giants organization before being claimed off waivers by Chicago in late December. He was designated for assignment earlier this month when the Cubs signed outfielder Chris Denorfia.

Kickham was 8-8 with a 4.43 ERA last season at Triple-A Fresno. He made 27 starts and was fourth in the Pacific Coast League in strikeouts. Kickham had limited experience with the Giants, going 0-3 with a 10.98 ERA making 14 appearances over two seasons.

Silver wants Hawks in Atlanta

LONDON (AP) — NBA Commissioner Adam Silver wants the Hawks, who moved from St. Louis to Atlanta in 1968, to stay put. He said he is confident any new owner would keep them in Atlanta. Silver said Wednesday, “I do want to see the Hawks stay in Atlanta, and we’ve made that clear to the market.”

Silver said the current owners, who put the team up for sale this month, are also intent on keeping the franchise in the city.

He said, “I don’t think it will be a real issue because I would be shocked if they were to sell to a group whose intention it was to even seek to transfer the team out of Atlanta.”

Court rules for racing company

BROOKLYN, Mich. (AP) — The Michigan appeals court has ruled in favor of a racing company in a dispute involving a Spanish tourist, a bad steering wheel and a car crash at Michigan International Speedway.

Jose Gonzalez’ car crashed into a wall in 2012 when the steering wheel came apart. He was participating in the Rusty Wallace Racing Experience, which gives NASCAR fans a chance to drive around the track in Brooklyn in southern Michigan. The appeals court says the bad steering wheel doesn’t add up to gross negligence or willful misconduct under Michigan law. The court says the wheel was checked before Gonzalez hit the gas. He also signed a liability waiver.